Dwelling In The Middle (Διαβίωση στη μέση)

-From the Meletic Scrolls.

Living in the mesotes, which is Greek for the noble middle between extremes and moderation, teaches us that Meletic virtue helps one dwell in balance and is not pulled by opposites.

In Meleticism, the notion of mesotes the noble middle forms a core pillar in the cultivation of ethical life. It is neither a passive compromise nor a halfway point of convenience. Rather, it is a state of conscious equilibrium and an experiential philosophy of balance. It is a deliberate centring of the self between the pull of excess and the vacuum of deficiency. To dwell in the middle is to walk with steadiness between extremes to neither cling nor reject, to neither exalt nor diminish, but to remain anchored in awareness, guided by the practice of virtue.

This balance is not to be confused with mediocrity or indifference. It is not a mere neutrality. In truth, mesotes is dynamic. It is a living expression of discernment, requiring both inner strength and self-reflection. To live in this middle state is to practise restraint without repression, to engage without obsession, to feel deeply without being carried away. One does not eliminate emotion or opinion, but tempers them for resilience, clarity and purpose.

The Meletic practitioner is called to this middle path not to avoid life’s challenges, but to meet them in full awareness. In a world prone to division and polarisation, mesotes becomes not just a private choice, but an ethical position. It says: I will not be swayed by materialism or fury, by pressure or pride. I shall remain with myself, here, now and think, feel, acting from a place of centred being.

The Meletic virtues are the compass points that help us find and sustain this middle. Temperance as a prime virtue, encourages the moderation of desire. It does not demand denial but asks us to enjoy what is good without becoming enslaved to its pleasures. Fortitude, another pillar, teaches the middle between cowardice and reckless boldness. Humbleness keeps us grounded between vanity and self-diminishment. Perseverance walks between complacency and restless ambition. Each virtue reveals a path not of suppression or indulgence, but of considered balance.

What, then, does it mean to dwell in the middle? It means living in a certain state of conscious calibration. Each day, we are pulled in many directions by impulse, emotion, duty and distraction. The Meletic way is to pause, reflect and choose with intention. Balance is not a static state we reach and then maintain forever. It is, rather, a natural flow we return to again and again. It is a private space within where clarity arises.

This becomes especially apparent in how we respond to the present world. The middle does not mean silence in the face of injustice or detachment from feeling. Rather, it allows us to respond not with sudden reaction, but to engage with knowledge and care. In an age that often rewards action, spectacle and certainty, the Meletic middle inspires a deeper commitment to presence, thoughtfulness and ethical resolve.

In Meletic meditation, this principle is deeply practised. When the mind begins to race or emotions swell, the practitioner returns to stillness, not to escape, but to rebalance. The silence is not hollow; it is awakened with awareness. In this inner dwelling, one reconnects with one's true essence, which is the ousia. From this essence, one chooses again. Dwelling in the middle is thus not a retreat, but a return to the centre from which meaningful action flows and our intellect is revealed.

The balance Meleticism speaks of is also cosmic. It echoes in the rhythms of nature, in the movement of the stars and in the tides and seasons. The universe rarely resides in the extremes. It adjusts, harmonises, pulses with existence. The Meletic mind recognises that to live in tune with nature is to avoid the dissonance of excess. It is to express our wisdom than our ignorance.

This middle can be challenging. It is much easier, at times, to cling to extremes, to define oneself sharply, to choose sides and to act impulsively. Extremes offer a false sense of security, but the self that matures realises that wisdom lives in the tension between a desire and a necessity. That freedom arises not from clinging, but from the space where one can see both perspectives and choose the path that connects one's journey to enlightenment.

To dwell in the middle is also to practise empathy, not as indulgent sympathy, but as the capacity to understand opinions without becoming absorbed by them. The balanced soul is not neutral in the face of suffering but responds with proportionate care when sought. Meletic ethics teaches that to live well is to feel rightly, which is not too little, not too much, but with respect and poise to confront our daily endeavours.

This middle is not always appreciated by the world. Those people who do not hasten to judgement, who do not conceal their truths, may be dismissed as undecided. Meleticism is not concerned with approval. It is rooted in the cultivation of an inner compass. That compass always points inwards before it points outwards. The balanced self moves not with the winds of whims, but with the steady breath of thoughtfulness.

When we live in the mesotes, we find personal space. Space to reflect, to listen and to speak with great care. We find the capacity to hold contradiction without collapsing into confusion. We learn that both sorrow and joy have their time. That anger can be righteous, but it too must be tempered. That hope is not naive, but must be grounded. Living in the middle teaches us not to fear complexity, but to embrace it as the ground of authentic living.

Even our relationships with others benefit from this orientation. We become less reactive, less prone to dominance or submission. We learn to meet others where they are, without losing who we are in our identity. The middle gives rise to compassion, not indifference. It is the measured care that arises from knowing oneself and others in proportion.

Meletically, balance is not simply a personal preference. It is a way of living ethically in a world that often prizes the successful and the extreme. It is a resistance to chaos, not through control, but through centred responsiveness. This responsiveness flows from the virtues cultivated through attention, self-awareness and practice.

To dwell in the middle is not a passive waiting, but a poised readiness. A readiness to meet life not with fear or force, but with depth and discernment. To live this way is to gradually align one’s will with one’s values, one’s feelings with one’s insights, and one’s actions with the truth of the moment.

When we falter as we all shall, the Meletic soul does not despair. Instead, it gently returns. The middle is always waiting. The centre holds. It is not a destination, but a dwelling. It is the space where the self expresses most freely, where the virtues speak most clearly, and where fulfilment is found not in grasping but in being.

In this space, we rediscover ourselves, not as beings torn between opposites, but as unified expressions of intention. The middle does not erase our uniqueness; it refines it. It gives form to character, clarity to thought and calm to the mind.

To dwell in the middle is to walk with grace of one who neither rushes nor withdraws, who neither imposes nor avoids. It is to learn how to live with one’s full humanity intact, shaped not by the extremes of reaction but by the quiet force of virtue, gently pulling us back to what is true.

It is also a natural form of inner peace. It is not stillness without life, but stillness within life. In a time when everything urges haste, anger and assertion, dwelling in the middle is an ethical act of humbleness. It reminds us that we are not merely beings of impulse or reaction, but capable of reflection, compassion and thoughtful restraint. The Meletic path does not ask us to abandon the world, but to meet it fully, with a heart trained in temperance and a mind shaped by wisdom. This is how we build character with virtue and knowledge of what is essentially the moral compass that guides us philosophically.

There is a meaningful existence to dwelling in the middle, a secret that only reveals itself to those people who have mastered the discipline of balance and forsaken the illusion of materialism.

(To Ένa) the One is an influence that reminds us that in life we must bear equanimity. It is our virtues that must prevail over our ego.

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